The Bold Cheese Sauce You've Been Overlooking For Pasta

On seeing this headline, perhaps your thoughts fly towards macaroni and cheese with sharp cheddar or a nutty, salty cacio e pepe smothered in parmesan cheese. Cheese is certainly front and center in these iconic pasta dishes, but the bold cheese that will pack the most powerful punch in a pasta sauce is blue cheese.

With its piquant nature and earthy, funky, umami-rich tasting notes, blue cheese also has a crumbly and creamy texture that will melt easily into a thick, rich sauce. Plus, you can make a one-pot blue cheese pasta meal by simply tossing some in with freshly drained pasta, butter, and reserved pasta water. Once you've reserved a cup or two of cooking water, drain the noodles, and place the pot back onto medium heat to melt a generous portion of butter. Then toss the pasta into the butter, followed by a few cups of crumbled blue cheese. Slowly add reserved pasta water while stirring, to continue to melt the cheese and thicken the sauce.

Or make a separate blue cheese sauce with just two extra ingredients: cream and Worcestershire sauce. It's created with the same buttery foundation, stirring in blue cheese, cream, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce over medium-low meat until thick and bubbly. Then, add the pasta and some reserved water. 

Which blue cheese should you use? Blue cheese encompasses numerous types, and you can just pick whatever grabs you at the grocery store. You can even buy online: Amazon sells imported creamy Danish Blue and crumbly Roquefort which are good choices, or go for an American variety like Point Reyes Original Blue.

You can take an umami-rich buttery, blue cheese sauce in many flavorful directions with spices, herbs, and aromatics. And there are plenty of vegetables, proteins, and other garnishes that pair well with blue cheese sauce. Bring spice and smokiness to blue cheese sauce with smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. At the other end of the spectrum, balance the sharp funky blue cheese flavor with a drizzle of honey. Split the differency by drizzling the sauce with hot honey; Mike's Hot Honey is a good choice. Caramelize onions, leeks, or shallots for a sweet aromatic complement. Fresh herbs like parsley, basil, rosemary, and tarragon all bring a pop of green while playing up the earthiness of blue cheese, as does spinach.

Counter the funkiness of blue cheese with the earthiness of mushrooms; fry up baby bellas or cremini using a dry skillet, adding butter to the mushrooms only at the end. Garnish mushroom and blue cheese sauce with toasted pecans or walnuts for crunch and another layer of savory richness. Or finish blue cheese sauce with a drizzle of ultra-earthy white truffle oil. These 365 Organic sundried tomatoes in olive oil and grilled chicken in blue cheese sauce, garnished with toasted pine nuts would make the ultimate, gourmet centerpiece.